Growing up, 26-year-old KenDrea Mayes rarely weighed herself. She was always on the heavier side, but felt confident in her own skin, and preferred to base things off how her clothes fit. When her jeans or tops felt tight, she'd eat a little healthier to balance things out.

But when a work health program gave her access to a free digital scale, she realized she had gained nearly 60 pounds since high school. A college diet of cheap fast food, all-nighters that led to excessive snacking, and drinks mixed with sugary sodas and juices on nights out had caught up to her. With a family history of diabetes, Mayes knew she it was time to change her eating habits, and in February 2017, she overhauled her diet and exercise routine.

Living the Low-Carb Lifestyle

A bet with another coworker who was trying to get healthy served as extra motivation, and Mayes started researching the differences between a low-calorie and low-carb diet. Mayes saw several success stories online from people who tried a low-carb approach, and decided to try Atkins.

She was able to find all the information she needed to get started online, saving low-carb recipes and tracking her weight on her phone. Around the same time, she moved into her own apartment, which made it easier to get into the habit of cooking meals at home.

"During college I didn't have time to cook so I just got stuff on the way," Mayes said. "Moving to my own apartment, it was my first time having to cook for myself and [I realized] it's cheaper than going out all the time."

Her Day-to-Day

Now, Mayes relies on Crock-Pot meals to get her through the week, and loves making gumbo, zucchini-noodle lasagna, and chili. She usually sticks to eggs and bacon for breakfast and chicken or fish with lots of veggies for dinner.

As for snacks, she still eats guacamole, one of her favorites, but switched out chips for sliced bell peppers and celery. She keeps string cheese, almonds, and turkey jerky on hand to keep her satisfied throughout the day, and has a pretty genius low-carb dessert hack: a dollop of frozen whipped cream, which she says tastes like ice cream without all the calories or carbs.

Along with cooking, exercise was a huge part of her lifestyle change, Mayes says, and her routine actually sounds pretty doable. She started by walking for an hour on her lunch break, and used her apartment gym to run on the elliptical for 30 minutes a few times a week.

Making It Stick

Within the first few weeks of changing her diet, Mayes saw the scale move. That was all the motivation she needed to keep going.

"Once you lose those first five or 10 pounds, you never want to see that scale go back up," she says. "You don't need other people, you're motivating yourself."

Since February 2017, Mayes has lost 88 pounds, and is 12 pounds away from her goal weight. She's no longer pre-diabetic, and her cholesterol has gone down to a healthy level. She's also upped her exercise game — "I can't believe I'm a jogger now!" she jokes.

Sure, there are days when Mayes misses bread, but she's gotten used to the low-carb life. "It's just like people who are vegan or vegetarian, it's just how you live now," she says. "It's actually fun to try new recipes like zucchini noodles instead of the having the same old burger and fries."

And while she gets lots of comments on how different she looks, Mayes' confidence has remained the same. She encourages others who are losing weight to focus on the mental aspect as much as the physical, too.

"You're still the same person, on the inside and in your mind. I was always beautiful, and I'm still the same, I'm just healthier."